Post Office disconnected me

I am 98 years old, disabled and living in a retirement home.

I am completely dependent on a care line service at night. This is linked to my telephone landline.

I had a letter from my phone service, Post Office Telecoms, saying that it had received notification that I was moving home and my line was being taken over by another user.

I hadn’t opened the letter at once as I was away on holiday with my family. I had then presumed it was about a bill, which would be taken by direct debit.

When I did open it and needed to explain that I never had any intention of moving, I found the line had already been cut off.

I do not know who could have told the Post Office that I was moving home. MJ, SURREY

After that, your house manager, members of your family and you yourself spent hours phoning from other phones in an effort to get the line restored.

This didn’t help and you wrote to me.

I opened your letter late on a Friday and at once alerted Post Office Telecoms to this emergency, which could be a matter of life or death.

To be fair, my contact leapt into action and even kept in touch with me on what was happening over the weekend.

You and your house manager were also reassured several times that efforts were being made to restore the phone. It was reconnected some days later.

I understand this was complex as you live in a multi-residency address, which also has multiple phone lines.

It appears your line had been inadvertently taken over by another provider, which had been instructed to install a new line for a neighbour at the same address.

By the time Post Office Telecoms found out what had happened your line had already been switched.

However, the order was not yet completed and the transfer couldn’t be reversed until it had.

Post Office Telecoms said it not only had to restore your line but also make sure that in the process it did not affect the lines of the other residents.

Post Office Telecoms said this was an exceptional issue that was not easily identifiable.

However, it admits that it is disappointing that action seems only to have been taken when I got in touch.

Post Office Telecoms said that it is currently reviewing its escalation process so that unique cases such as yours are dealt with efficiently.

Rather than accepting a goodwill gesture you asked that a charitable donation of £100 be made to the British Legion. This has been done.